1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an actuation control system of a capsule endoscope, and more particularly, to an actuation control system of a capsule endoscope, which is capable of precisely diagnosing not only a digestive system having a tubular shape such as an esophagus, a small intestine, or a large intestine but also a well of a wide organ such as a stomach and is capable of performing detailed examination of an organ at a desired location.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional flexible streamlined endoscope is inserted through a mouth or anus and controlled to perform an examination. To reduce difficulties in handling the endoscope and reduce a patient's suffering, a capsule endoscopic, which is swallowed through the mouth and passes through digestive systems for examination, is developed.
However, this capsule endoscope has a limited size so that various functions may not be performed. Also, because intestinal walls are slippery, the capsule endoscope is actuated in a passive manner such as peristalsis of the intestine.
To improve these disadvantages, a research on an actuation mechanism for actuating the capsule endoscope using an electromagnetic actuation system is conducted.
Meanwhile, in an electromagnetic actuation system for medical devices including the capsule endoscope, only a rotational motion and a straight line motion are enabled. Also, even if a translational motion is enabled, a coil system has a unsuitable coil structure in which a patient could not enter for treatment.
Meanwhile, numerous patent applications and patents, including U.S. Patent Publication No. 2008/0272873 (hereafter, “prior art document”), are related to a coil system for actuating the capsule endoscope.
As shown in FIG. 1, in the coil system for actuating the capsule endoscope disclosed in the prior art document, a total of 18 coils can be used to move the capsule endoscope in a certain direction.
However, the prior art coil system has a problem in that power consumption could be increased to move the capsule endoscope due to a high number of coils and each coil's role is not clearly defined.